MANCHESTER, N.H. - The nationally-ranked No. 23 Saint Anselm College women's lacrosse team picked up a satisfying 13-9 win over Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon. Senior
Isabella Stuynski (Bedford, Mass.) starred with a seven-point performance after scoring three goals and dishing out four assists, while senior
Maggie Fitzgerald (Holliston, Mass.) also carried the Hawks' offense with four goals of her own.
Prior to the game, Fitzgerald and Stuzynski were recognized alongside their classmates
Erin Doyle (Weymouth, Mass.),
Alison Ferullo (North Andover, Mass.),
Tess Froio (Hull, Mass.),
Kylee Horlbeck (Norwell, Mass.),
Natalie O'Connor (Longmeadow, Mass.) and
Jess Sullivan (Wrentham, Mass.) in a special Senior Day ceremony honoring the women's lacrosse class of 2024.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm concludes the 2024 regular season on the road against the College of Saint Rose on Tuesday, April 30th in Albany, N.Y. at 4:00 p.m.
Score: No. 23 Saint Anselm 13, Southern Connecticut State 9
Records: No. 23 Saint Anselm 10-6 (6-4 NE10), Southern Connecticut State 8-8 (3-7 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Grappone Stadium)
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Attendance: 197
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Southern Connecticut State was given possession after a violation on the opening draw control. Alexandra Ruel came down and fired the first shot of the game for the Owls from close distance, but Hawks junior goaltender Elizabeth Driscoll (Marblehead, Mass.) made the save.
- At the other end, Sullivan linked up with Ferullo, who's quick-stick shot found the top left corner and gave Saint Anselm the early 1-0 lead 1:16 into the game. Less than a minute later, Stuzynski made a pass over the top of the cage to Fitzgerald, who caught the pass and scored to make it 2-0.
- The Hawks defense got out to a great start and forced four Owls turnovers after scoring their two goals. At the 8:28 mark of the first quarter, Southern Connecticut State was awarded a free-position chance. Anna Meserve took the shot for the Owls, but Driscoll once again made the save.
- Sullivan picked up her first goal of the afternoon with 7:43 left in the first on an unassisted tally after cutting across the face of goal and firing a left-handed shot to make it 3-0.
- Southern Connecticut State got on the board shortly after with Ruel finding Meserve that cut the deficit back down to two, but junior Samantha Rivet (Sudbury, Mass.) answered for Saint Anselm. After scooping up a ground ball on a rebound, Rivet drove to the net and tucked her shot into the back of the net to put the Hawks ahead, 4-1.
- Driscoll made another two stops before quarter's end and Saint Anselm held their three-goal lead going into the second.
- Junior Kendra Sabotka (Rutland, Vt.) started the scoring in the second quarter with her 13th goal of the season, increasing the home team's advantage to four goals.
- After hitting the post with a shot, the Owls scored their second goal of the game with Meserve finishing a free-position opportunity, but the Hawks struck right back with Stuzynski catching and scoring off a feed from Rivet to make it 6-2 with 10:39 remaining in the first half.
- At the 6:11 mark of the second quarter, Sullivan found Stuzynski open at the top of the crease. Stuzynski turned and fired a low backhand shot that made its way into the back of the cage. It was a highlight reel goal that increased Saint Anselm's lead up to five goals.
- Fitzgerald then netted her second score of the afternoon off a feed from Stuzynski, who secured her hat trick shortyl after with her third goal of the game assisted by Sullivan with 1:24 left in the half.
- Kirsten McIntire scored a free-position goal for Southern Connecticut State with seven seconds left in the half, but Saint Anselm maintained a 9-3 advantage at halftime.
- The Hawks continued their offensive prowess to start the second half. Stuzynski fed Fitzgerald for a pair of scores in the opening 90 seconds of the third quarter for Fitzgerald's third and fourth goals of the game. Junior Abigail Christmas (Elmira, N.Y.) then added another score for Saint Anselm just 30 seconds later to extend their lead to 12-3 with Sullivan picking up her fourth assist on the play.
- McIntire responded for the Owls by snapping the Hawks' run of three straight goals with two scores of her own, trimming Saint Anselm's lead back down to seven. Allie Welder then scored a free-position goal from straight down the middle to make it a 12-6 game with 3:52 remaining in the third quarter.
- Freshman Alyssa Hill (Brookline, N.H.) got the Hawks back on the board with a free-position goal of her own just 34 seconds after to increase the home team's lead back up to seven, which Saint Saint Anselm took going into the final quarter.
- Bailey McDermott registered a goal for Southern Connecticut State to open the fourth quarter, and with 8:42 remaining in the game, Morgan Reilly scored as well to trim the deficit to just five with the score at 13-8.
- In the game's final few minutes Saint Anselm's defense came through with a huge defensive stand to kill of an entire two-minute player-up chance for Southern Connecticut State. Driscoll denied a close-range effort by Amelia Mansfield during that spell and then turned aside another shot by Meserve with 3:43 left to keep her team in front by five.
- Froio entered the game for the remaining three minutes of action and made one save for the Hawks with under a minute remaining, allowing Saint Anselm to hold on for the 13-9 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm held slight leads in both total shot attempts, 31-26, as well as shots on goal, 22-21.
- Draw controls were relatively even with the Hawks winning 14 and the Owls winning 11. Southern Connecticut State held a 24-22 edge in ground balls.
- Saint Anselm committed 23 turnovers in the game compared to 20 committed by Southern Connecticut State. The Hawks defense caused 13 turnovers, while the Owls defense caused nine giveaways.
- Southern Connecticut State recorded three free-position shots while Saint Anselm recorded just one.
- Stuzynski led the way for the Hawks with a seven-point game on three goals and four assists. Fitzgerald finished with a game-high four goals, while Sullivan added a goal and four assists. Rivet was the only other Hawk to have a multi-point game after recording a goal and an assist, while four other players had one goal.
- Hill led Saint Anselm with a game-high six ground balls, while Doyle had a game-high eight draw controls and Rivet had a team-best three caused turnovers.
- McIntire led the Owls with a three-goal performance and Meserve contributed with a pair of scores to go along with an assist.
- Driscoll ended her day with 11 saves in between the pipes and allowed eight goals in the win. Froio entered late in the fourth quarter and recorded a save. Caelen Connors had nine saves and allowed all 13 goals in the cage for the Owls.
- Sullivan now leads the team with 38 goals and 27 assists on the season. Ferullo has 36 goals, Fitzgerald has 35 goals, and Stuzynski has 27 goals and a team-high 32 assists.
- This marked the 21st game all-time between these two programs since 2002. Saint Anselm is a perfect 21-0 overall against Southern Connecticut State.
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